Spray attachment for water skis and the like



Sept. 11, 1962 R. J. ANTOINE 3,052,899

SPRAY ATTACHMENT FOR WATER SKIS AND THE LIKE Filed July 21, 1961 IN VEN TOR. Emma: J. Azvromz' A TTOEA/EVS' United States Patent U 3,052,899 SPRAY ATTACHMENT FOR WATER SKIS AND THE LIKE Ronald J. Antoine, Minneapolis, Minn assignor to Twin City Automatic, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed July 21, 1961, Ser. No. 125,851 2 Claims. (Cl. 9310) My invention relates generally to aquatic novelties and more particularly to devices adapted to be attached to relatively fast moving aquatic vehicles in order to raise a spectacular spray.

A primary object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class above described which is particularly adaptable for water skis and the like and which may b readily attached to and removed from said skis.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class immediately above described which will raise a jet or spray of water substantially vertically immediately behind the occupant of a ski or skis, and to an unprecedented height.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class above described which may be inexpensively produced, which is highly efficient in its operation, and which is rugged and durable in construction.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class described which, when attached to conventional keel-board-equipped water skis, does not project below the plane of the bottom of the ski or skis as far as do the keel boards attached thereto, and consequently, do not preclude walking on flat surfaces such as docks, or alternatively, of taking off from behind a boat from such surfaces.

The above and still further objects of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claims and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts through the several views:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective illustrating the effect created by use of my novel device on water skis;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective showing my novel attachment in operative position on a water ski; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in section taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates in its entirety a water ski to the bottom surface 2 of which is secured one or more longitudinally extended keel boards 3. The upper surface of the ski 1 is identified by the numeral 4, whereas the rear edge thereof is identified by 5.

My novel spray attachment comprises a scoop-acting body identified in its entirety by the numeral 6 and having an open upper end 7 and an open lower end 8. The body 6 includes vertically disposed laterally spaced side Walls 9 and a vertically disposed arcuate connecting rear wall 10. As shown, the side walls 9, adjacent their lower forward end portions, are formed to define vertically extended shoulders 11 which are adapted to engage the rear end portions of the ski 1. A horizontally disposed transverse mounting plate .12 extends between the side walls 9 above the shoulders 11 and forwardly with respect thereto. Preferably, and as shown, the side walls 9 have forwardly extending portions 9a which are rigidly connected at their lower ends to opposite ends of the mounting plate, and thus impart great overall rigidity to the structure. As shown, the mounting plate 12 is pro- Patented Sept. 11, 1962 ICC vided with an aperture through which a screw or the like 13 extends into the ski 1.

As shown particularly in FIG. 3, the mounting plate 12 is so positioned that when it is in engagement with the upper surface 4 of the ski 1, the extreme lower end of body 6 projects below the plane of the bottom surface 2 of said ski 1 thereby creating a forwardly opening mouth 14 for the free reception of water through the open bottom 8. As shown in FIG. 1, water entering the mouth 14 and open bottom 8, as the ski 1 is drawn through the water at high speeds, is caused to be projected substantially vertically behind the occupant of the skis, thereby creating an unprecedently spectacular jet or spray A.

As also shown in FIG. 3, the lower end portion of the body 6, while projecting below the plane of the bottom surface 2 of the ski 1, does not project below the lower surface 3:: of the keel board 3. Consequently, the occupant of skis equipped with my novel attachment may take off from flat dock surfaces or the like, without incident.

My invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects, and while I have shown a preferred embodiment thereof, I wish it to be understood that same may be capable of modification without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An attachment for water skis and the like comprising a scoop-acting body having vertically aligned open upper and lower ends, said body including vertically disposed laterally spaced side walls and a vertically disposed arcuate connecting rear wall, said side walls being formed adjacent their forward ends to define vertically extended shoulders of a depth greater than the vertical dimensions of a ski with which said device is intended to be used and adapted to engage the rear edge of said ski, and a transverse mounting plate connecting the upper forward ends of said side walls forwardly of said shoulders, said mounting plate being so positioned as to cause the extreme lower end of said body rearwardly of said shoulders to be positioned below the plane of the lower surface of said ski when said mounting plate is in engagement with the upper surface of said ski, and defining a forwardly opening mouth for said scoop, the upper limits of which project above the plane of the upper surface of said ski.

2. A water ski having an elongated keel board secured to its lower surface and depending therefrom, and a spray attachment secured to the rear end of said ski, said attachment comprising a relatively flat mounting plate overlying the upper surface of said ski immediately forwardly of the rear end thereof, and a generally U-shaped vertically disposed flange, opposite side portions of which i are connected to opposite side edges of said mounting plate and extending rearwardly therefrom, the intermediate portion of said flange rearwardly of said plate extending downwardly below the plane of the bottom surface of said ski but above the level of the bottom of said keel board, the intermediate portion of said flange rearwardly of said plate projecting above the plane of the upper surface of said ski.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,931,134 Nevitt Apr. 5, 1960 2,940,091 Fifer June 14, 1960 2,983,508 Modine May 9, 1961 

